


The Boy from the Stars

by the_foolish_king



Category: Original Work
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, star tear disease
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23558434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_foolish_king/pseuds/the_foolish_king
Summary: Young writer Charles Reed decides to spend one whole summer to himself in the countryside. For him, as writer, his ideal environment are clear skies, flourishing greenery, the scent of flowers in the air, and the vast, wide unknown.He never expected to encounter something-- or someone rather, to shake his world in all directions.He fell in love. With someone he knew he shouldn't be in love with.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Charles, are you sure you want to move out?”

The 19-year old boy stood from his crouching position, carrying a brown box in his arms. "Yes. The city is just... Too much for me. As a writer, that is.”

Charles Reed was just a simple boy who simply loved books and simply loved writing. There was no other thing in the world that would make him happier than writing. Of course, his parents would say otherwise, but he knew what he wanted.

“And of your studies?”

He shook his head. "I won't need those rigorous studies lessons anymore. I'll be content with dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses. Besides, it's the summer! Who does summer lessons in—summer?!”

"Summer lessons are just as needed as normal lessons, Charles,” his father added.

The boy sighed exasperatedly. “Summer lessons are for those who failed in more than one subject, Dad. I clearly remember passing with flying colours.”

“Charles! That isn’t enough for you, even as a writer! You aren't born with innate talent like the writers you look up too", his mother protested, wiping her tears with the laced handkerchief in her hands.

“And that's why I need to move out. If dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses aren't enough, then allow a teacher to come with me. I will not ask for anything else, I only want one summer all to myself, where I can write in peace", he pouted, crossing his arms as a sign of childish rebellion.

“Then bring Louis with you", his father spoke, and speak of the Devil, a blonde man in his mid-thirties appeared, carrying a tower of books in his hands.

"Louis, if it isn't so much to ask, would you please come with Charles to the countryside? He refuses to have us by his side!”

_No, that's a bit too much now, is it?_ Charles thought.

"I'll go if Charles would like me to go with him", the man replied, arranging the books in his arms on the coffee table. "Is it okay with you, Charles?"

"As long as you don't nag me too much", he retorted playfully, dashing to his room to pack for his trip, and to escape from Louis' usual nagging.

Charles was a mere 19-year old writer living in the heart of the city, born from a middle-class family who he admitted, liked acting as if they were in the upper class of society. Short brown hair cut neatly above his ears, strands of hair brushing by his eyebrows. Bright blue eyes hidden beneath circle-framed glasses. Lightly tanned skin, most likely from walking around the streets under broad daylight whenever he took pictures with his camera as references. Despite his age and prowess in writing, he was also known to be child-like and impish.

Louis, on the other hand, was Charles’ teacher ever since he was four. He had platinum-blonde hair tied neatly into a ponytail with several strands of his locks loose in front of his ears. His steel gray eyes behind rectangular lenses. He usually wore a gentle expression on his face, but most of the time, he was more expressive with the younger student, as days were spent lecturing him for his childish antics.

Nevertheless, his student was a clever one, and he shaped Charles into becoming the writer as he is today. Now that he thought about it, he was also partially the reason for the boy’s rebellion.

“Charles! You better be packing the right writing materials!”, his voice echoed as he went up the stairs to the boy’s room.

“I know! Now leave me alone!”

\--

The brunette groaned softly as he witnessed his parents’ unnecessary drama.

“Mom, stop crying. I’m not going to die.”

“Oh please! You’re going to live near the sea—”

“—Do you remember how many times you’ve nearly drowned?!”

He rolled his eyes. “You never taught me how to swim.”

Louis chuckled softly, patting the mother’s shoulder in assurance. “Don’t worry, Adele. I’ll make sure this little rascal doesn’t go drowning left and right.”

“Don’t give your teacher too much trouble now”, the father spoke.

The boy sighed. “I won’t. I’m nineteen, I’m far too old to add to Louis’s wrinkles”, he chortled.

“Hey!”

Though his parents come as overbearing and overprotective, Charles loved them nevertheless. He happily waved them goodbye as he trudged into the car the older man was going to drive. As Louis turned the engine on, the radio started playing classical music pieces. One of which Charles was very familiar with, as it was a frequent lullaby sang to him during the night as a child.

“Hey Louis, hear that?”

“What?”

“Mozart’s Twinkle Little Star.”

“What about it?”

Charles simply smiled at him.

“He’s telling me to go on a journey.”

One that he’ll never forget.


	2. A Fateful Encounter

"Look out the car, Charles", Louis smiled as he drove along the countryside road, giving a view of the nearby sea, glistening under the sun god's rays. Charles' eyes widened with excitement that of a 5-year old, pressing his palms against the glass.

"It's  beautiful... ", he whispered in awe. He turned to the blonde, grabbing on the back of the driver's seat. "Roll down the window!"

"Huh? Do it yourself! I'm driving!"

Charles pouted and pressed the button by the car handle, the glass moving down. A gust of air blew inside the car, brushing away the hair in his face as he happily put his head out, enjoying the feel of the wind. Louis was eyeing him with the side- mirror, and thought of the boy as a dog.

He tugged on the hem of the student's trousers, pulling him back inside. "Get your head back in!"

"No way! The wind is super nice!", he stuck his tongue out to mock him, kicking his Louis' hand away.

The rest of the trip ended with the sun still high, the pair stopping by the quaint house Charles' parents owned. It was painted in warm  colours of brown and emerald green, with the perfect view of the sea by his room. Itching to explore, Charles ran out the car, hurriedly running inside the house freely, his hands touching whatever wall and door he could lay his eyes on.

Louis watched, amused by the sight of the 19-year old energized by a simple log house. He got out of the car himself, then opened the trunk of the vehicle, taking out the suitcases and luggage one by one. "Hey Charles! Mind giving me a hand?"

“Aw, can’t unpacking wait? There’s so much to see!”, the boy pouted as he appeared running out of the house. 

“If we go exploring now, you’ll be too tired to unpack your things later”, the blonde raised a brow, crossing his arms. As much as he cherished the student, moments like these are when the parent inside him comes out.

Staring down with his mentor, Charles gave up with a disappointed sigh as his eyes started to water. “Fine…”

\--

“The town is pretty”, Louis said softly as he chewed on the popsicle stick, eating away whatever chilled fruity cream was left.

“It’s way better than the city”, Charles responded, licking his fingers. The two were walking on the cleared grass path as they eyed the quiet bustling in the town, the things they saw seldom seen in the city. The children were playing freely on the streets, free from any harm that might come to them as cars and trucks were rarely ever seen along the streets , and some were seen exploring the nearby forest opposite in the direction of the sea. The adults were moving in harmony, some relaxing, some sweating while hard at work under the blazing sun. It felt more like home than it did anywhere else.

“The sea is quite vast”, Louis muttered.

“It’d be the perfect seat to watch the moon”, the boy sighed happily, the ends of his lips curling upwards. 

“That gives me the impression you’ll sneak out at night and go to the sea.”

“Crud. You found me out”, Charles face contorted into a dejected expression as he sulked. He expected to get another scolding from the older man as the boy had practically dragged him around, doing whatever he pleased. 

The blonde mentor laughed loudly. “Do as you like. Just be careful.”

He beamed in satisfaction. “I’m not going tonight though. I promised to go grocery shopping with you in the morning.”

“Yes, otherwise, you’d combust the kitchen on our second day of summer.”

He gasped audibly, dramatically covering his mouth with his palms. “How rude!”

The night came as the pair descended from the small cliff they ended up on after a whole day of exploration. Charles smiled to himself as he watched the clouds in the sky give way to the crescent moon glowing brilliantly in the dark blue sky, brimming with jewels as its light reflected on the waters.

What caught his attention was a boy standing knee-deep in the sea, looking high at the moon while its rays shone on him, his hair as white as starlight shining. He burned the sight in his eyes while he trudged down the rocky path, and time seemed to slow down as he locked eyes with a pair of deep green irises, and his heart started pounding so loud, he was sure he heard it in his ears.

The boy was strangely peculiar to him: Albino hair framing his face just below his ears, strands of hair brushing against his eyelids. Deep-sea eyes that took him to the bottom of the unknown seemed to suck him in like a magnet. Pale skin as if he was made of china; delicate, fragile.

Beautiful.

What intrigued him the most, were the glittering tears that streamed down his cheeks, every drop from his jaw forming into little stars in every shade and hue of greens and blues, falling gently into the water with a sound that reminded him of a piano.

A sad piano.

_ Why was he crying?  _ Charles thought.

As he opened his mouth to call out to him, a strong wind urged him to keep his mouth shut as he marveled in the sight of leaves swaying along the gale’s dancing. Yet when he looked back to the sea, looking for the sight he saw,

The starry-eyed boy was gone.

\--

Sunlight came, and the pair was busy carrying bags of groceries they bought from the stalls in the center of town.

"Hey Louis, didn't Mom and Dad used to grow vegetables at the back?”, Charles inquired, biting into an apple in his hand.

"Mm. I believe they did. However, it hasn't been taken care of in years.”

“That's sad. I was looking forward to gardening.”

Louis didn't need to take a look to know Charles’ disappointment. 

"Well, we can always take advantage of the orchard at the back instead. No vegetables, but there are fruit trees.”, he suggested.

With that, the boy's face lightened up.

“Are you going out again after lunch?", Louis asked as they trudged inside their house, immediately arranging their groceries inside the kitchen. “Uh-huh. I'm  gonna go around and take pictures for references.”

“I see. Well, making lunch is going to take a while. Mind waiting?”

"Scratch that, I'll help you.”

All that was heard were sounds of knives against cutting boards, the soft clanking of metal against metal, the soft burning of the fire on the stove, the boiling of water and frying. Charles wasn't opposed to using induction stoves, but he had to admit that those were a bit noisy, especially when his mother was cooking. All the 'beep’ noises annoyed him to no extent.

When lunch was ready, the two ate in silence, a content atmosphere in the air. They were both relaxed, more than they thought they'd be.

“I'm done eating! I'll go now", Charles stood up, his cheek chock full of bacon as he carried his dishes to the sink.

"Be back no later than ten", Louis watched him move around, sipping on his coffee.

Donning his shoes, he brisk-walked from the house, immediately capturing the image of the sky above him with the camera slung around his wrist.

He explored every nook and cranny of the town, walking into forests, taking pictures of what his eyes could lay on. He eventually ended up in the center of the town, when the sun was about to go down. The sound resonating within the village kept him awake as he passed by the local musicians. The conversations in the air were mixed as the people were busy enjoying the liveliness of the central, and sucked in the warm and cozy atmosphere, Charles didn't realize that he had bumped into a girl.

“I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going", he frantically said, looking at the person he had encountered.

“Nah, I'm okay!", she grinned, and then suddenly had a curious look in her face as she leaned in and inspected him. "You’re not from around here, aren't you?”

"Yeah, I just uh—arrived yesterday. For the whole summer.”

She leaned back with a smile. "Cool!", offering her hand. “I'm Emily.”

He shook it gladly, mimicking her smile. “I'm Charles.”

Emily was one of the students in the town's local school, he deduced. She had tan skin that came from spending so much time under the sun, and she had big, doe chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with so much life and curiosity, and she had shiny, black curly locks cascading down her shoulders until her waist. 

Yet another face flashed inside his head, the one that he saw that night. The image of that boy sent his heart into another erratic mess like it was the day before.

“What brings you here?", Emily inquired, now eager to learn about the city boy's reason for coming so far away from home.

“A pace changer. I'm a writer, so eventually, I got tired of the same scenery I always see back in the city.”, Charles replied, playing with the camera in his hands. “I was taking pictures for references in my writing.”

“Oh... Interesting! Writing was never my best suit. I'm more of a, mathematical person really. This summer would be my last, because I'm going back to the city for university.”

“Perhaps you've taken an interest in engineering?”

“Industrial. I want to go back to this town one day and help it flourish even better than before.”

The ends of his lips curled up. “That's a great idea. I'm sure that'll come true soon.”

“But before that, I'll show you around the rest of the town!", she grinned, taking his wrist gently.

The two became friends like they've known each other their whole life. The raven-haired girl decided to take the writer for a proper tour, telling him all sorts of stories about the shops and stalls they passed by.

"This is our school. Pretty big, huh?", she boasted, taking him to a fairly large building identical to most schools in the city. “It's complete with necessary facilities too. I complained about the lack of equipment last school year, and now this will be available to the incoming students after summer.”

Charles hummed in awe, raising his hands to take a picture. Looking through the lens, the moon was bright and nearly full, the sky  coloured in dark hues of purples and hues, the stars decorating the heavens like they were diamonds. He gasped as he saw a peculiar figure on top of the school building, and unknowingly captured it as he turned to Emily.

“There's someone on top of the schoo-”

“Ah! It's Alcor! Come, I'll introduce you!", she laughed and took his wrist yet again, dragging him inside the building and up the stairs. 

When Emily pushed the doors to the roof top open, the boy who was looking at the sky was startled with the sudden sound of metal crashing against cement, and he turned to them with surprise.

Charles looked up at him, eyes widening in amazement as his heart started doing all sorts of things, like cartwheels, somersaults, and backflips. His lips were ajar, forgotten how to breathe as he stared at the person before him.

“Oh, Emily, you're here", he spoke.

His stomach churned with butterflies, the sound of his pounding heart even louder in his ears. 

He didn't even notice he wore red tassel earrings.

“I brought a friend!”

Charles gulped nervously before smiling, albeit awkwardly.

“I'm Charles. Nice to meet you.”

He smiled at the writer, offering his hand, the same greeting Emily had done hours ago.

“I'm Alcor. Welcome to our humble town.”

Charles' eyes, for some reason, began to sparkle with delight. “Alcor, the star. The one from the  Ursa Major constellation.”

The albino's eyes widened, unaware of his namesake. “Ursa Major?”

"More commonly known as The Big Dipper", Emily added, ruffling the white-haired locks messily.

A ringing phone disrupted the ambient silence, one that belonged to Emily as she hurried to get it from her pocket. “Oh, a text from home. You guys have fun without me!”

"We'll walk you down, lily", Alcor responded, then smiling at Charles, moving his head as a move-along sign.

They returned to the stairs, and Charles kept silent, his thoughts now a mess, unable to process everything that has happened. The boy who he saw crying that night was currently walking side by side with him down the stairs. Alcor leaned in with a mischievous grin, whispering softly into Charles' ear.

“Let's go look at the moon.”

When he felt his breath on the tips of his ears, he held in his breath, cat got his tongue. Instead of thinking of a reply, the writer was thanking the gods that it was night time, the darkness covering the ever-growing redness of his cheeks. Without giving it another thought, he answered.

“On the best seat?”

Alcor grinned. "Nice pun.”

Pleased laughter was all that echoed in the sea as the two ventured waist-deep into the waters, bewitched by the moon glowing brightly in the sky.

Charles shivered, rubbing his arms as he chuckled. “The wind and the water's so cold, I'm getting chills.”

Alcor retaliated with splashing him with the salt water, grinning. “The climate here is always cold, better get used to it.”

"The sea's far from where I live. I rarely ever go there so I don't know how to swim.”

The starlight-haired boy laughed loudly.

"You shouldn't be this deep into the water then. The wind's pretty strong tonight, you might get blown and fall down.”

The boy rolled his eyes, trudging back to the shore slowly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it.”

A strong gust of air blew to the sea, causing Charles to yell and get pushed back. Before he knew it, he had fallen into the sea.

"Charles!”

He couldn't breathe as he sunk deeper into the bottom, reaching out for the light that shone as he saw his breath forming into bubbles. Instead of struggling to swim towards the surface, he stayed still in the water, and the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes were hands grabbing his wrists, and the sorrowful piano echoing in his ears. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, welcome to my first story! Thank you for taking your time to read this, I hope you enjoy Charles' journey from start to end.


End file.
